The Counterpoint Podcast

Qualcomm recently hosted its annual Snapdragon Summit in Maui, Hawaii, where it made several interesting announcements. AI, more specifically on-device generative AI, was a key theme. Qualcomm demonstrated the AI-on-edge capabilities on both smartphone and laptop reference designs, and they were impressive.

Key announcements included the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 mobile platform, and the all-new Snapdragon X Elite compute platform powered by Oryon CPU cores. Qualcomm also announced the S7 and S7 Pro Gen 1 sound platforms, with the Pro version adding the XPAN feature for streaming audio using Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. Lastly, we also saw Snapdragon Seamless, a technology to link multiple devices across OEMs and multiple operating systems for audio and peripherical connectivity and file transfer.

In the latest episode of “The Counterpoint Podcast”, Research Director Tom Kang and VP of Research Neil Shahdiscuss their key takeaways from the Snapdragon Summit 2023. They touch upon the industry’s transformation towards AI-driven experiences, partnerships, the reduced gap between chipset release and chipset adoption, and much more.  

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Generative AI like ChatGPT and Google’s Bard have disrupted the industry. However, they are still limited to browser windows and smartphone apps, where the processing is done through cloud computing. That is about to change soon as Qualcomm Snapdragon-powered devices will soon be able to run on-device generative AI. 

At MWC 2023, Qualcomm showcased Stable Diffusion on a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2-powered Android smartphone. The demo showed how a smartphone can generate a new image with text commands or even change the background, without connecting to the internet. Running generative AI apps directly on a device offers several advantages, including lower operational costs, better privacy, security, and reliability of working without internet connectivity. 

In the latest episode of ‘The Counterpoint Podcast’, host Peter Richardson is joined by Qualcomm's Senior Vice President of Product Management Ziad Asghar to talk about on-device generative AI. The discussion covers a range of topics from day-to-day use cases to scaling issues for computing resources and working with partners and the community to unlock new generative AI experiences across the Snapdragon product line.           

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Generative AI has been a hot topic, especially after the launch of ChatGPT by OpenAI. It has even exceeded Metaverse in popularity. From top tech firms like Google, Microsoft and Adobe to chipmakers like Qualcomm, Intel, and NVIDIA, all are integrating generative AI models in their products and services. So, why is generative AI attracting interest from all these companies?

While generative AI and ChatGPT are both used for generating content, what are the key differences between them? The content generated can include solutions to problems, essays, email or resume templates, or a short summary of a big report to name a few. But it also poses certain challenges like training complexity, bias, deep fakes, intellectual property rights, and so on.

In the latest episode of ‘The Counterpoint Podcast’, host Maurice Klaehne is joined by Counterpoint Associate Director Mohit Agrawal and Senior Analyst Akshara Bassi to talk about generative AI. The discussion covers topics including the ecosystem, companies that are active in the generative AI space, challenges, infrastructure, and hardware. It also focuses on emerging opportunities and how the ecosystem could evolve going forward.

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As more and more carmakers are now introducing electric vehicles (EVs), the battery and its charging and safety have gained the utmost importance. Counterpoint Research’s data shows EV sales crossed 10 million units in 2022. And as more users and fleet owners consider EVs, be it passenger cars, taxis or even electric trucks, the range anxiety and charging infrastructure are where many are held back. So, what are companies doing to address these issues?

In a discussion with Qnovo, a company that specializes in developing intelligent lithium-ion battery management software, we gained some interesting insights on how it improves the battery performance in EVs. The desired user experience, be it charging or performance that replicates internal combustion engines, is essential for EV adoption. But how are carmakers and battery companies working together to deliver the best experience?

 In the latest episode of ‘The Counterpoint Podcast’, host Jeff Fieldhack is joined by Qnovo CEO Nadim Maluf to talk about the intelligent battery platform and more. They discuss topics including EVs, battery charging and performance, safety and much more. The discussion also focuses on Qnovo’s technology implementation beyond EVs.

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2022 was a landmark year for the eSIM ecosystem. eSIM adoption has accelerated around the world and is now rapidly moving towards becoming the preferred mode of connectivity. Consumer interest in eSIM is at an all-time high, profile downloads have increased exponentially and newer players are entering the market – all signs of an ecosystem on the rise. 

Most premium smartphones now come with an embedded SIM (eSIM) as it is more advantageous than a physical SIM for OEMs, operators and consumers. We’ve already seen an eSIM-only iPhone 14 in September last year. It is possible that in the coming years, most premium smartphones may not have a physical SIM at all. But it is not just smartphones, even companion devices like tablets, smartwatches and other IoT devices are now adopting eSIM. However, because eSIMs are not removable like physical SIMs, testing for profile suitability and interoperability becomes extremely important.

But how does eSIM testing work? What is the process? Which companies help in such testing? We discuss all that and more in our podcast with Comprion, which is a German company that specializes in eSIM testing. 

In the latest episode of “The Counterpoint Podcast,” host Ankit Malhotra is joined by Marcus Dormanns, Director of Product Management and Business Development at Comprion. The discussion touches on several topics including the technical process of testing an eSIM, interoperability with different network providers, the time taken for testing, and more.     

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At CES 2023, HERE Technologies unveiled UniMap, an automated mapping technology that allows customers to create their own personal maps and customize location services. It uses AI models to automate the processing of vehicle probes and sensor data to validate speed limits, extract map features like 2D and 3D positioning of road signs and much more.

With more vehicles gaining autonomous features, UniMap also aligns standard definition (SD), high definition (HD), and Advanced-Driver-Assistance System (ADAS) to offer seamless access to navigation data. Customers also get quick access to unified map data that is refreshed in hours, minutes, and even seconds. The data is easily accessible at any time of the day because it is all saved in a single environment. In this podcast, many other unique features of the UniMap platform are discussed in detail.

In the latest episode of ‘The Counterpoint Podcast’, host Peter Richardson is joined by Vice President of Product and Technology at HERE Technologies, Remco Timmer, and Counterpoint’s Research Analyst Mohit Sharma to talk about UniMap. The podcast weaves through various topics like the use cases of UniMap, the industry sectors that can benefit from this new mapping solution, and much more.

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The automotive industry is undergoing a massive digital transformation as the concept of CASE (connected, autonomous, shared, electrical) is gaining traction. And as the number of connected vehicles increases, data logging, remote diagnostics, and over-the-air (OTA) software updates become more important.     

 With the Deep Connected Platform from Sibros, a Silicon Valley-based company, vehicle manufacturers and fleet owners can perform OTA software updates without many hassles. The Deep Updater can be configured for over 80 components and controllers in the vehicle. Similarly, the Deep Logger can collect event-driven data and transmit diagnostics so a service engineer can remotely track down a technical issue.    

 In the latest episode of The Counterpoint Podcast, host Matthew Orf is joined by Sibros CEO and co-founder Hemant Sikaria and research analyst Fahad Siddiqui to talk about OTA software updates for connected cars and more. The podcast explores how Sibros is helping OEMs and fleet owners with software and data solutions, and how OTA updates can avoid massive recalls and much more.

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As China is opening its borders and quickly getting back to business after over three years of COVID-19 lockdowns and other curbs, we recently conducted an offline customer-sharing meeting in Shenzhen. It was great to see everyone after a long time and share our insights. The developing trends and China’s premium smartphone market outlook were the most discussed topics.

The country’s smartphone market has become quite saturated. While Chinese OEMs are releasing models with newer technologies, the consumer demand for smartphone upgrades is not as strong as before. Moreover, macroeconomics is another important factor affecting consumers’ purchasing power and confidence. With such a scenario, OEMs are shifting their focus to premium devices to increase their ASPs (average selling prices).

In the latest Mandarin episode of The Counterpoint Podcast, host Rick Cui is joined by Research Analysts Archie Zhang and Shenghao Bai. In this podcast, we touch upon several topics, such as Counterpoint’s prediction for the Chinese smartphone market in 2023, the growing interest of OEMs in releasing foldable smartphones, and more. We also talk about how smartphone makers are focusing on self-developed chips and artificial intelligence (AI) among other areas of differentiation.

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This year’s Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona proved to be a great success. At the event, which was held in earnest for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic, many companies introduced new products and technologies. With nearly 90,000 visitors, the event managed to regain its former vigor, excitement, and buzz.

Networks and operators actively participated in MWC 2023 and introduced new technologies and solutions. The event also revealed industry players’ aspirations to take the lead in 5.5G and 6G, and the telecommunication companies’ concerns about monetization.

Another noteworthy point was the remarkable presence of Chinese companies. In particular, Chinese companies including Huawei, HONOR, OPPO, and TECNO introduced foldable smartphones, showing that the foldable market, which was formed with Samsung at the forefront, is blooming in earnest.

In the latest episode of ‘The Counterpoint Podcast’, Counterpoint’s Research Director Tom Kang and Associate Director Sujeong Lim, who participated in the event, discuss their takeaways from MWC 2023.

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An increasing number of smartphone OEMs are now approaching sustainability by removing plastic from packaging, using more recycled materials, and making the devices more repairable. But have you ever wondered what happens to these devices once they reach the end of their useful life?

We now live in a circular economy where the focus is on reducing waste by repairing and reusing smartphones and components. As we celebrate Global Recycling Day today (March 18), let us discuss e-waste management. Companies like Closing the Loop offer an e-waste recycling service called waste compensation. The approach is simple – for every new device added to the market, you collect one end-of-life device which is then properly recycled.

In the latest episode of ‘The Counterpoint Podcast’, host Jan Stryjak is joined by Andrea Scholz, Senior Sustainability Manager in the Consumer Business Unit at Vodafone Germany, and Joost de Kluijver, Founder and Director at Closing the Loop, to discuss how Vodafone Germany and Closing the Loop are working together on a one-for-one program, e-waste management and much more.

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